Without Russia, all negotiations on Ukraine are meaningless, President Putin reveals a path Kiev "almost" took

Following Switzerland's announcement that it has set a date for a peace conference on Ukraine, Russia continued to issue a statement affirming its stance on negotiations to resolve the conflict.

Thiếu Nga, mọi đàm phán về Ukraine đều vô nghĩa, Tổng thống Putin hé lộ một con đường Kiev 'suýt' bước lên

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Kremlin on April 11. (Source: Sputnik)

On April 11, TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as emphasizing that Moscow has repeatedly said that "negotiations without Russia are meaningless and, in fact, a negotiation process without a purpose."

The Russian Embassy in Bern said that Switzerland had not invited Russia to the event and that without Moscow's participation, the conference would likely not produce any concrete results and would be a waste of time.

Switzerland has set a date for a summit on the conflict in Ukraine on June 15-16 at the Bürgenstock resort outside the city of Lucerne.

Ukraine and about 100 countries, including the United States and China, were invited to the event, chaired by Swiss President Viola Amherd, but Russia was not present.

The conference aims to promote global efforts to establish a favorable framework for a comprehensive and lasting peace process in Ukraine, as well as a solid roadmap for Moscow's participation.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis affirmed his country's commitment to peace, stating: "Our humanitarian traditions will play an important role in this task."

Meanwhile, on the same day, at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, President Putin also reaffirmed that the above conference could not achieve peace without Russia's participation.

In addition, Mr. Putin agreed with his Belarusian counterpart's proposal to promote the peace agreement reached with Ukraine in Istanbul, Türkiye, in March 2022, which Kiev had agreed to but ultimately did not accept.

According to the Russian leader, this is a reasonable and acceptable position for Ukraine, adding that Moscow has always been committed to a peaceful resolution of the conflict with Kiev, stating: "We have never given up on the peaceful resolution of disputes; moreover, we want to do it."

In May 2022, Ukraine suspended peace negotiations with Russia. In October of the same year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree prohibiting further negotiations with Russia as long as Putin remained president.

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